Reading Short Stories...
What with one thing and another, and then another, this week hasn’t been the best week for reading. Not every week is, it happens :o) I just need to get through today and then I’ve got all my fingers crossed for either Saturday or Sunday (I’m not fussy) being a good day to read something. Lets see…
In the meantime, I did manage to read a few short stories yesterday. Well, my laptop froze ‘mid job hunt’ and I thought that if ‘I don’t read something now… So that’s what I did :o) A little ‘Age of Sigmar’ and a couple of ghost stories…
‘Past Returns’ – Hal Wilson (Black Library)
Page Count: 28 Pages
I was looking at the Warhammer Community pages and saw mention of a new ‘Age of Sigmar’ novel, by Hal Wilson, about the Freeguilds. I have a bit of a soft spot for Freeguild soldiers but had never read anything by Hal Wilson so… I went looking for a copy of ‘The Wanderer’ (a prequel to this new novel) but couldn’t find it so went for ‘Past Returns’ instead. I really should have paid closer attention to my own shelves but that’s another story…
Colonel Kai Valgor, a traumatised war veteran, seeks funds at a noble ball to help mount a Dawnbringer Crusade. He soon discovers a sinister cabal lurking amongst the guests...
‘Past Returns’ very straightforward, and ‘to the point’, but you know what…? I wasn’t after anything too involved so on this occasion, that was fine by me. Something sinister is uncovered fairly early on and our ‘slightly battered’ (but still valiant at heart) Colonel has a shot at redemption if he can put a stop to it. The stakes are high then and the plot moves at an appropriate pace.
What I ended up staying for though wasn’t so much the fighting, more Wilson’s examination of Valgor and what has led him to his current state. Not only is Valgor a surprisingly sympathetic character, the uncovering of his past slowly casts part of the story in a whole new light. I really enjoyed it and hopefully, we’ll see more of that approach in ‘Whisperblade’.
‘Haunted World’ – Robert. R. McCammon
Page Count: 24 Pages
Have you ever bought an anthology just because one particular author features in it? I’m not normally that frivolous but McCammon’s books can be hard to find, over here, so when I saw he had a story in ‘Post Mortem’… That was it for me :o)
I’ve always thought of ‘Ghost Stories’ as quiet affairs where the ending can make you jump, a bit, but is more likely to leave feeling all unsettled. Well… McCammon’s ‘Haunted World’ is exactly the opposite. The ghosts are deposited on the page by tornado and are in your face right away and if that wasn’t bad enough… They’re slowly becoming more solid than any ghost has a right to be. The implications are chilling, especially when our lead, and his family, are being stalked by a hungry caveman.
What’s even more chilling though is a very understated line that McCammon leaves us with,
I had a thought: If we got killed, we wouldn’t stay dead very long, would we?
At this point, I’m pretty sure that McCammon is incapable of writing a bad story, even if he wanted to. ‘Haunted World’ is definitely worth a look if you ever come across it.
‘The Guide’ – Ramsey Campbell
Page Count: 16 Pages
An elderly man, recently widowed, follows directions in an old guide-book and ends up…
I haven’t read nearly enough of Ramsey Campbell’s work so decided to keep going, after finishing ‘Haunted World’, and check out ‘The Guide’.
And…
I’ll be honest, I’m still trying to get my head round ‘The Guide’ as in only sixteen pages, it feels like Campbell has written three ghost stories. As an old man (widowed), Kew is very much haunted by his past as well as feeling like he is pretty much haunting his daughters young family. And if that wasn’t enough, the Suffolk coast is more than capable of doing a little haunting itself…
I’m not that old (yet) but Kew painfully confronting his own mortality was unsettling on its own. What Kew finds in the church, and where he finds himself at the end… That was terrifying.
I don't want to get ahead of myself but, you may well see more 'Post Mortem' tales feature over the rest of this month...
In the meantime, I did manage to read a few short stories yesterday. Well, my laptop froze ‘mid job hunt’ and I thought that if ‘I don’t read something now… So that’s what I did :o) A little ‘Age of Sigmar’ and a couple of ghost stories…
‘Past Returns’ – Hal Wilson (Black Library)
Page Count: 28 Pages
I was looking at the Warhammer Community pages and saw mention of a new ‘Age of Sigmar’ novel, by Hal Wilson, about the Freeguilds. I have a bit of a soft spot for Freeguild soldiers but had never read anything by Hal Wilson so… I went looking for a copy of ‘The Wanderer’ (a prequel to this new novel) but couldn’t find it so went for ‘Past Returns’ instead. I really should have paid closer attention to my own shelves but that’s another story…
Colonel Kai Valgor, a traumatised war veteran, seeks funds at a noble ball to help mount a Dawnbringer Crusade. He soon discovers a sinister cabal lurking amongst the guests...
‘Past Returns’ very straightforward, and ‘to the point’, but you know what…? I wasn’t after anything too involved so on this occasion, that was fine by me. Something sinister is uncovered fairly early on and our ‘slightly battered’ (but still valiant at heart) Colonel has a shot at redemption if he can put a stop to it. The stakes are high then and the plot moves at an appropriate pace.
What I ended up staying for though wasn’t so much the fighting, more Wilson’s examination of Valgor and what has led him to his current state. Not only is Valgor a surprisingly sympathetic character, the uncovering of his past slowly casts part of the story in a whole new light. I really enjoyed it and hopefully, we’ll see more of that approach in ‘Whisperblade’.
‘Haunted World’ – Robert. R. McCammon
Page Count: 24 Pages
Have you ever bought an anthology just because one particular author features in it? I’m not normally that frivolous but McCammon’s books can be hard to find, over here, so when I saw he had a story in ‘Post Mortem’… That was it for me :o)
I’ve always thought of ‘Ghost Stories’ as quiet affairs where the ending can make you jump, a bit, but is more likely to leave feeling all unsettled. Well… McCammon’s ‘Haunted World’ is exactly the opposite. The ghosts are deposited on the page by tornado and are in your face right away and if that wasn’t bad enough… They’re slowly becoming more solid than any ghost has a right to be. The implications are chilling, especially when our lead, and his family, are being stalked by a hungry caveman.
What’s even more chilling though is a very understated line that McCammon leaves us with,
I had a thought: If we got killed, we wouldn’t stay dead very long, would we?
At this point, I’m pretty sure that McCammon is incapable of writing a bad story, even if he wanted to. ‘Haunted World’ is definitely worth a look if you ever come across it.
‘The Guide’ – Ramsey Campbell
Page Count: 16 Pages
An elderly man, recently widowed, follows directions in an old guide-book and ends up…
I haven’t read nearly enough of Ramsey Campbell’s work so decided to keep going, after finishing ‘Haunted World’, and check out ‘The Guide’.
And…
I’ll be honest, I’m still trying to get my head round ‘The Guide’ as in only sixteen pages, it feels like Campbell has written three ghost stories. As an old man (widowed), Kew is very much haunted by his past as well as feeling like he is pretty much haunting his daughters young family. And if that wasn’t enough, the Suffolk coast is more than capable of doing a little haunting itself…
I’m not that old (yet) but Kew painfully confronting his own mortality was unsettling on its own. What Kew finds in the church, and where he finds himself at the end… That was terrifying.
I don't want to get ahead of myself but, you may well see more 'Post Mortem' tales feature over the rest of this month...
Glad you were able to work in a few short stories. I sure hope your laptop behaves itself from now on.
ReplyDeleteMe too ;o) I need to get another job first, then I'll allow my laptop to die peacefully...
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